The Overwatch League's Philadelphia Fusion advanced to the OWL finals in its inaugural year, and they are "working to make their second season even bigger," according to Connor Smith of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. The Fusion will "have a bit of help" as they look to grow after Activision Blizzard sold eight new franchise slots in the league valued between $30-60M. Fusion Chief Business Officer Joe Marsh said that kind of money, along with "new team partnership deals and a TV deal with ESPN and Disney, will help the Fusion, which plays all their games in Burbank, Calif., expand as the team prepares to relocate to Philadelphia" for the '20 season. Marsh added there will be "more partnerships for the Fusion in the upcoming season" but the club is "still going to be strategic" about it. Marsh: "We're not going to be NASCAR by any stretch of the imagination." Smith noted OWL teams "receive an equal share" of 50% of the net league-wide revenue from "sponsorship, advertising, ticketing, broadcast rights, merchandising, and league-affiliated in-game items." Teams keep all "local revenue generated from their home territory and venue, up to a set amount each year, and the majority of local revenue thereafter." The Fusion have "hired three full-time staffers to work on partnerships and video content." One thing that "could attract sponsors is the TV deal that began this summer." Marsh said the deal "gets advertisers and partners comfortable" and will "make partners happy that they're on there with a brand like Disney and ABC and ESPN" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 10/20).
NEW FRONTIER: In Toronto, Morgan Campbell writes there is "no debating the growing role video games are playing in the modern sports industry," as three of MLSE’s four pro teams are "involved in esports ventures, and the company has hired staff to run those initiatives" as part of its OverActive Media venture. MLSE execs point out that while esports franchises "benefit from links to pro sports teams, esports has shown traditional sports teams how to navigate social media and the digital world more effectively." The OWL will add a Toronto-based expansion franchise in '19. However, right now OverActive comprises just four employees besides players and coaches, and President & CEO Chris Overholt "doesn’t foresee expanding beyond eight next year." But long term, he "envisions OverActive evolving into the MLSE of esports, owning franchises in several areas and becoming a permanent presence on Toronto’s sports scene" (TORONTO STAR, 10/22).
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